MovieChat Forums > Bird Box (2018) Discussion > I prefer explanations

I prefer explanations



IMO, this is lazy writing. It's easier to build suspense and leave it that way than to be a clever writer and come up with a plausible explanations of your character. Even a slight one would suffice. Especially when you consider there were inconsistences regarding their actions. Was it an invasion? Demons trying to take souls? Can we get a hint?

There have been times I've enjoyed a suspenseful horror movie and thought, "This movie was good until we found out what was doing the killing/possessing". It seems some writers have a hard time explaining themselves out of a predicament or plot and prefer to take a easy way.

I still enjoyed to movie, tho. It wasn't so bad. I'm not a fan of Sandra Bullock, but her acting has gotten better over the years.

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Not everyone likes explanations. Some of us like thinking about what could have actually caused this. For me, a lack of explanation keeps the movie inside my head longer, because I try to figure out what really happened. I look for possible clues too. It is more fun that way.

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You’re literally doing their job for them

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I don't think of it that way. Sometimes I would rather come up with my own theories about things. It is fun.

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in that case, just switch off any movie 3/4 of the way through.
or watch 'Lost'
or 'The Road'

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I am not sure why we are arguing about someone's preference. I am not saying everything doesn't deserve and explanation, but sometimes in life there is just not an explanation to certain things that happen. There were no explanations in 2001 A Space Odyssey, but then comes along 2010 and they explained almost everything; badly. As I said, sometimes it is better not to explain than it is to have some weak explanation.

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Wait? What wasn't clear about The Road?

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it wasnt clear what had caused the "nothing grows", nor if it would ever pass, or could be fixed.
Therefore you didnt know if there was any hope of living longer than when the tinned food ran out,

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It was a nuclear winter. They knew the cause, but I guess it could be said they weren't sure if it was possible to outlast it. I didn't take anything from the road other than they were all screwed, just a matter of when.

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The sad thing is, the writers themselves probably have no idea why it happened. You're wasting your time trying to complete their story for them.

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How is it a waste of time? I have an imagination and can attempt to complete a story even if the writer chooses not to do so. An imagination is so much better than any something any writer can come up with. Movies are so detailed now anything we can add to the experience is pretty much silenced.

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When I want to use my imagination to finish a story, I write my own. If I am paying money to share the fruit of someone else's imagination, I expect a finished product. I wouldn't go to a restaurant where they sold me the raw ingredients and expected me to cook and serve my own meal.

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I am glad that there are still movies that let us use our imaginations. No sense continuing a conversation neither of us will win, especially since I thought the movie was average at best.

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Lol, that's actually a thing!
https://www.blackrockrestaurants.com

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The story had so many holes that I agree in your conclusion that the writer was not being well equipped to provide a plausible explanation.

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I agree, whynotwriteme.

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There was actually a sort of explanation early in the story, from the conspiracy nerd working in the shopping centre/mall. There were no further explanations in the movie, which was a bit odd, but I kind of suspected that there would be no real explanation, as it was that kind of movie.

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Well like the walking dead, you dun have to know how or why it happen.

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Most explanations would only be lame.

What kind of aliens/demons/virus etc can't infiltrate a building?

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The demon that gives me sunburn cant get inside... :)

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It's actually better writing because avoided the pointless exercise of explaining things, scientists and army generals in a canvas tent, shoulders hunched, palms on the table (except for those stroking their chin), inventing a new gobbly-babble to explain things in audience-intelligence-level terms, etc.

That's not what this film is about — it's about the people in it and how they react, cope, reason — and getting us on the edge of our seats, which it did fine for the most of the film (and would have done less of with a large dose of explaining).

That said, the last act or two of this film took a point off of my score. It just wasn't that great of an execution, with 15 minutes running through lots of shaking trees and bushes, LOST style. In other words, the last minute thrills were not as strong as they should have been for the final action act (which should always have the BEST suspense and thrills for this kind of film).

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I agree completely. The "unexplained story" has always struck me as lazy and gimmicky. I remember this kid in my creative writing class in high school who always wrote these lame stories about mysterious unexplained events. The teacher loved them, but it seemed to me there was no thought put into them whatsoever beyond the original "unexplained phenomenon".

A story that has things happening for no reason just isn't as memorable as a story that slowly reveals the cause of the events and allows you to make guesses along the way.

It's the work of lazy cheaters and I always feel frustrated at the end of them.

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That's because the unexplained story *is* lazy and gimmicky, but nowadays it's touted as "creative", which somehow also makes it magically immune to criticism.

People who write these types of stories should have been told a long time ago: just because no-one understands you doesn't mean you're an artist.

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What did you need explaining? Because it was a pretty simple movie to understand. Only idiots didn't get it.

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Don't be a jackass, jackass.

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Don't be a dumbass....dumbass...🙄

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It's unbelievable that people need to be spoonfed plots now.

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It's like happy endings, some people like them other Don't. Explanations aren't for everyone, it keeps some mystery. It's alos like in real life, you Don't Always get answer for everything. Try watching movies in the middle of it. It's very interesting to try to reconstruct the plot.

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[deleted]

I guarantee you're the extreme minority in that regard.

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